▲ This poster is provided by eBay Japan. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

 

TOKYO, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- "Seven-Eleven customers tend to be in their 40s and 50s, so we hope to attract younger customers by selling Korean brands."

 

Tsukasa Kikuchi, a merchandising executive at Seven-Eleven Japan, made the remarks in an interview with Korean media on Sept. 30.

 

Japanese convenience store chain Seven-Eleven has been operating a "Qoo10 Pick" corner at stores nationwide since Sept. 26, offering a curated selection of K-beauty products.

 

The corner was launched in collaboration with Qoo10 Japan, an online platform selling K-beauty products in Japan. It offers 21 products from eight brands, including AOU, Growus, Skin&Lab, SKIN1004, Senn24, Tiptoe, 23 Years Old and Parnell.

 

The products are generally priced between 400 yen and 1,500 yen (about 3,400-13,000 won).

 

The corner was designed to make K-beauty products that have gained attention online available at physical stores as well.

 

"We combined Qoo10's ability to identify trends with our store format and network," Kikuchi said. "We prepared a lineup differentiated from existing products, including mini-sized products and limited-edition colors."

 

"This is a collaboration aimed at reaching younger customers and strengthening the K-beauty category," Kikuchi said. "Korean cosmetics are extremely popular among young customers. Seven-Eleven has been relatively weak in attracting younger customers, so we want to strengthen that area."

 

"We are also working to increase the number of young visitors overall, not only through K-beauty but also through medical products and miscellaneous goods," he added.

 

Seven-Eleven and Qoo10 Japan plan to renew the products offered through Qoo10 Pick three times a year, taking into account sales data and the latest trends.

 

Korean cosmetics have recently gained popularity among Japanese consumers in their teens and 20s.

 

From basic skin-care products to makeup products that create a natural-looking complexion and colored lip products, K-beauty items have been spreading through social media and seeing increased sales at local offline retailers such as Loft and Don Quijote.

 

However, in an effort to address the inconvenience of having to visit major or large-scale shopping stores to purchase K-beauty products, Seven-Eleven and eBay Japan, the operator of Qoo10 Japan, launched the curated K-beauty corner.

 

Wakako Nakamura, a corporate partnerships and events manager at eBay Japan, said, "We hope this will become a new point of contact between Korean brands and Japanese customers, allowing customers not only to discover products online but also to experience them firsthand offline."

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]